Urd

[impolight]

Muscadine, black and red patchouli, cereus and nag champa.

:::URD:::

Utterly fanflippintastic! Being totally and completely unfamiliar with the mythos of the Norns, there is little to say regarding the application
of this fragrance in that respect. There is much uncertainty, even, as where to associate, geographically, the components that inspired this
Formula as a representation of the intended forces.
Smitten is really the only way to describe the feeling experienced after the first, heady draught of Night-Blooming Cactus, though. Immediately, there was this teleportation of sorts back to this New Age/ Wicca shoppe that was in the Downtown Palm Springs area back in the late 1980's early 1990's. The combination of the Vespertine Flora there mixed with the incense of the shoppe itsself and the winey notes from
the candle lit tables of the elite dining along the sidewalks swam together and made the first impression of what would be later recalled by the smell of Urd.
Urd is gorgeous! Immediately entranced and in love. The Muscadine is red, vibrant and lush...The Nag Champa is reverent... The Patchouli is not at all overpowering and is, instead, rather complimentary and seductive... The cereus is completely and utterly out of this world... It would have been nigh impossible to imagine beforehand that anyone would have the consideration to duplicate such a marvelous fragrance.
Urd is amazing. Definitely, gorgeously unisex. Evoke confidence and destiny with this.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, BPAL!

[hmelt004]

This is so light that I can barely smell it it. Even slathering it on, I just get a faint whiff of fruit and patch. I like this one, but I wish it were a bit stronger.

[ModderRhu]

Urd

 

In the imp: Holy...! WHAT IS THAT?!!?!

 

Wet on skin: Hmmm...what IS that?...

 

Dry on skin: Mmmmmm...grapes and patchouli! How interesting! How rare! How wonderful!

 

Hours later: *huffing wrist* oooohhh yeeeaahhh....

 

4.9 out of 5

[SophieCedar]

OOOOOHHHH....

 

Sweet white grape patchouli and nag champa. Little I could add to this.. all the previous reviews will tell you everything you need to propel you towards a bottle.

 

However, on drydown, this smells a bit bo-ish on me as the grapes subside. I suggest layering to keep the notes detectable.

[LadyMedb]

It's perfect - the darkest patchouli plus deep nag champa and the slight girly sweetness of grape. I can't quite smell the cereus, but it must be balancing out all those black and purple scents so that they're not too overpowering, because they're not - this is still quite a feminine blend. As it wears, the woody champa comes out more, which I like even better.

 

I don't know what to say about Urd except that this is sexy perfection - the representative scent I think of when I think of BPAL's dark, beautiful reputation. Yes, it's kind of a hippie scent - that's the point! It's stunning no matter what you call it. I've received dozens of compliments on it, enabled a dear friend with it (she wears it almost daily) and it'll be in my top 5 forever.

Edited May 20, 2010 by LadyMedb

[tailoredshirt]

I got grapes and some earthy smokiness. I have found, with this blend and The Forest Reverie, that I just really don't like the grape/smoke combination. So it didn't really work for me.

[INFJ4w3]

Urd is just about perfect. A true 5 star fragrance. It is sweet but not sugary, wine-y but not alcoholic, earthy but not dirty, and has strength/lasting power. This is not grape soda or even grape jelly. It's a mix of red wine, a vineyard, and incense. It smells like sangria or a spiked punch bowl, being served in a used book store with the doors opened and the freshness of the outdoors wafting through it. A Holy Grail Scent. Heavenly. Try it!

[kunoichi]

In the vial this has a strong, thick scent, rounded out with sweetness and a hint of grape. On my skin the sweetness becomes lighter, with more of a crisp grape scent coming through, though the hit of patchouli behind it gives an earthiness to the scent ensuring that it is not too sweet. After a few hours it smells of a thick, sweet floral over the darker notes - the throw, whilst faded, is strong and it has become quite lovely.

[ami226]

Sweet, slightly earthy and strong! Definitely a fruity sweet. The sweet starts to get even stronger as time goes on. Whew! It is so strong that it is giving me a headache!!

 

Interesting blend, but not for me.

[meredevachon]

Every time I read the Lab's description, I thought this wasn't for me. But one of my closest friends is playing the Ah My Goddess/Oh My Goddess version of Urd in an online RPG we're in, and I just couldn't stop thinking about bpal's Urd. So reservations aside, I got an imp with my latest order.

 

In the imp: Grape, but not artificially grape-y. It smells like the muscadines that used to grow in my great-grandmother's backyard (and in my sister's about 4 moves ago).

 

Wet: The grape dials back a lot almost as soon as it hits my skin, with the patchoulis grounding it with some earthiness, and a sweetness that's floral enough I'm thinking it must be the cereus.

 

Dry down: Becoming lighter than I would expect, incense smoke brightened with a little sweetness which every once in a while resolves into grape, but is mostly just soft-sweet.

 

Dry: The incense sticks close to my skin, and within an hour I have to sniff intently to get even that.

 

Overall: I like it more than I thought I might, but as far as incense-y blends go, this one doesn't have much special going on for me. I'll probably keep the imp, but it's not likely to be one I reach for often.

 

Impressions: Sinuous smoke. Color: smoky-grey tending toward purple without quite getting there.

[Monday]

Decant. In the imp: wet fruity patchouli hinting towards dragons blood resin.

On me it's an almost boozy grape and patchouli after a while the patchouli takes the lead and it becomes a bit woodsy.

I like it, but i'm not sure wether I need a bottle of this, will keep the imp around.

[imaginepageant]

In the Vial: Huh. This is kind of like Dragon's Heart, but without the dragon's blood. It's the same kind of red smell, if that makes sense. It's smooth and woodsy, faintly smoky, and slightly sweet, with that juicy redness backing it all up. I really hope this doesn't morph too much on me, because this is glorious in the imp!

 

Wet: The fruity muscadine really comes out on my skin, but then is tamed by a warm, sweet woodsiness. The patchouli is very light to my nose.

 

Dry: Well, I spoke too soon. The patchouli is slowly getting bolder and earthier, and stealing a bit of the sweetness from the blend. Oh, no. It's kind of getting that old-man-sweat smell. But the muscadine and nag champa are holding on for dear life.

 

An Hour Later: Yeah. Old-man-sweat and cigarette smoke. But not half as bad as some blends go on me. It's still somewhat woodsy and fruity, but not enough to save it.

 

Overall: Another blend gone bad. Urd is lovely in its pure form, but doesn't work on my skin. I'm so disappointed!

 

ETA: Several hours later, that icky smell has disappeared and what's left is gorgeous! I'll have to test this again in different areas to see if I can find a spot that escapes the old-man-sweat phase.

 

ETA: I couldn't get Urd out of my head - this is a haunting blend. So I decided to test it again before bed, and slathered it in my cleavage and collarbone area. Well, an hour in, it's incredible. This is a total hippie scent, and I mean that in the best way possible; it's earthy, smoky, woodsy, sweet, dark, and a little dirty. Definitely keeping the imp, and possibly might get a bottle.

Edited May 11, 2011 by imaginepageant

[Flightless]

This is an aged imp with a hand-written tag I received along with a purchase from a forum member. Since it's not "fresh", my experience may vary a bit.

 

In the Imp: A soapy, flowery blend- I can't really pick out one distinct fragrance, except maybe something akin to honey. If anything this one is really well blended.

 

On the skin: I think Patchouli must just turn to powder on me, because that seems to be a trend in those blends. It also reminds me of some local metaphysical shops I've visited with friends, so definitely a incensy-type scent on me. There's brushes of slightly-musky florals on the fringes and some lingering hints of the soapy touch.

 

Drydown: More florals make it through now, but it's still a very smoky incense. Is that... *sniff* jasmine (or something similar) hiding on the edge? Maybe that's the grape I couldn't find earlier. Beautiful!

ETA: I think I found the elusive grape- it decided to show up fashionably late to the party. It's not the fake, syrupy grape that I'm used to smelling; it's a warm, late-summer, stroll through a champagne vineyard kind of grape. So delicious.

 

Not bad, but it makes me wonder what a fresh imp would do on me. This is definitely something I could wear with a sarong and tank-top while sipping chai at the corner cafe... it reminds me of late summer/autumn with it's earthy smokyness that comes from the incense. 3.5 stars.

Edited June 27, 2011 by Flightless

[FathomBelow]

This counts among the thickest, heaviest, darkest BPAL I've tried - right up there along with the Whore of Babylon. It has an incense-y vibe, and is slightly nutty and sweet. I can't pick out the patchouli (the only note in the description that my nose can reliably identify) and I would say nag champa is probably the strongest component, but overall it's extremely well-blended. Overall, this scent is brooding, swirling, moody, and pretty much all the over-the-top, darkly dramatic adjectives you can think of. Imagine inhuman priests presiding over strange jungle temples, demons of black smoke swirling over stormy seas, strange and unimaginably ancient rituals performed by hooded initiates of a forgotten order...you get the idea.

[CiaoBonefish]

Mmmmmmm this is just delicious! Grapes, patchouli, and nag champa. It is as simple as that, but this totally works! The muscadine provides just the right amount of juicy sweetness and ripe fruitiness to sweeten and lighten an otherwise dirty and smokey blend. I love this nag champa note and the patchouli adds this really nice earthy (but not too dirty) twist that is just amazing. After a while on skin the patchouli starts to come out more and knocks the nag champa in the background. This patchouli note is great, have I mentioned that? Hehe. I wish I had a little more Nag Champa in this but apart from that this blend is ACE. Another winner and possible bottle!

[zebracakes]

Age: 2011

Imp: Honey, earth, and dried fruit.

Wet on skin: Same as in the imp, but with some tuberose butteryness.

After 10 minute dry down: The patchouli gets stronger and reminds me of pencil shavings.

Overall: Earthy perfume with some fruitiness, probably from the muscadine. This perfume is a bit too earthy for my liking

1 out of 5 stars.

[Innocuousmold]

This reminds me a bit of Midnight Kiss but dirtier.

 

The listed components are interesting choices for Urd the figure- muscadine are grapes native to North America and cereus is a nonspecific cactus. Wet, Urd is a strong and dirty patchouli with a heavy and fruity smell. On dry down it lightens up considerably, with a nice sweet grape and mild patchouli. There is something a bit woody in there as well, as I'm detecting a bit of a sour note. If you're afraid of incense, don't be because this blend is very light.

 

I'm a little on the fence about this one. It's nice but there are others that I like a lot more.

 

ETA: Oof, after about an hour this one is just kind of a dirty smell on me.

Edited April 16, 2012 by Innocuousmold

[stellamaris]

I don' t remember why I ordered this, but I am convinced it was the Guardian Angel of BPAL saying "get this one fool. It's really good and you will LOVE it."

*looks around furtively* does anyone else know how good this is? Do I need to buy 15 more bottles?

It's like a lush, sweet, fruity patchouli. This smells like win.

[whitsunweddings]

In the imp: Mostly grape, something a bit smoky in the background.

Wet: Patchouli kicking in like whoa. Kinda gross, ngl.

Dry: Patchouli and grape with a bit of incense? I was hoping for something like Gaueko, but this just doesn't seem to work on me.

[ajansuz]

This was another frimp that came with my most recent order. In the imp it's very sweet, almost foody fruity sweet, which are the sorts of scents I like least. However, I'm always committed to giving everything a skin test. Man, am I glad I did!

 

Wet this exploded into what I can only describe as quintessential metaphysical bookstore scent. The nag champa is a big player for me, drowning out any chance of a food association. I love me some dirty patch, but the patchouli in this is nothing like the dirty hippy patchouli of say, Occupy Wallstreet. It's just slightly grounding and keeps the scent from floating away into incensey la la land. There's also something a little sharp, a note I don't recognize at all.

 

On the dry down, the throw stays medium on me. This really takes me back to a couple of jobs I really liked and a place I love to go I don't get to see nearly enough of. I'm not 100% sure it's bottle worthy for me yet because on the wrong sort of day this kind of scent can lead me into headache territory. I know I'll use the heck out of the imp.

[Scorianelle]

I've seen people say 'this smells like an occult shop' or 'dirty hippy' in reference to patchouli before. I've never gotten that feeling from patchouli, but if there was ever a sent that screamed these things to me it would be Urd.

 

When I opened the imp I almost gagged. Something in it smelled rotten to me, like it was decaying, and I almost decided to pass it on for good then and there. But as these perfumes can morph so drastically I steeled myself, took a deep breath, and opened the imp again. And it smelled... nice! Not great but certainly not gag worthy.

 

On my skin Urd is a very strong, very odd appley resin. The nag champa or the muscadine (I'm not sure which) absolutely dominates. This is not a 'me' smell, but it was so evocative of being in occult shops and book stores that it is so far the first and only scent I have kept for my oil burner. It is much more subtle in the burner, and most importantly I feel I have learned something by trying it.

 

Colour association: warm glowing amber.

[pinkpoodle]

Mmmm...this is so unique! First sniff=tangy fruit and rich floral. Almost immediately, the fruit/floral smell fades to reveal a wonderful nag champa smell. It reminds me of an opium incense that I used to buy back in my younger days. I'm not picking up the patchouli in this blend, but I'm probably desensitized to it at this point.

[ih8perfume]

I doubt I ever would have chosen Urd on my own, but someone lovely picked this out just for me.

 

The notes made me a little nervous. I'm rarely a fan of fruit. And Nag Champa and I do not have a good history, although I ADORE champaca flower. Then there's my love/loathe relationship with patchouli.

 

But when I put this on, it turned into pure win. It was the nostalgic scent of a certain used record store from my high school and college days, but without the unwashed hippy/punk college angst smell.

 

And then again, that doesn't do it justice.

 

The grapes are tart and refreshingly juicy without being sour, the cereus (I assume) lends a breezy light floral nectar sweetness. These fresher scents mellow out the dirt/earth tones that can make patchouli a little too dark and sweaty... Too dirty hippy. The nag Champa kind of floats through the whole blend adding a bare hint of smoke and that unmistakeable exotic Champa spicy floral. Actual Nag Champa incense is completely overwhelming and headache inducing to my sensitive nose. But the Nag Champa in this blend was just the right exotic touch. It made me think more of India then Headshop.

 

Once again, Beth has worked magic. Juicy, resinous, sexy and exotic. Love.

[calivianya]

I have two imps of this to test: light yellow and light orange. Both smell very similar - sweet and earthy when wet, and lovely. However, when they start to dry down, there is something almost floral that comes out - I'm wondering if it's the cereus? Either way, it's a little sharp. I think this perfume would have been a lot more lovely without that sharp note. I think this one is a pass for me.

[MiasmaResonance]

I can smell the muscadine and nag champa on my skin, with the patch underlying. It's nice, very interesting, but a little too heavy for me.